Proposed Costa Mesa code change would allow some recreational marijuana businesses

Costa Mesa City Council members Tuesday will review a proposed code amendment that would permit recreational marijuana to be manufactured, researched, developed and tested in the same area of the city as medical marijuana.

The suggested change pertains to Measure X, which allows businesses that research, test, process and manufacture some medical marijuana products to open in an area north of South Coast Drive and west of Harbor Boulevard. The amendment would do the same for adult-use recreational marijuana, subject to the same permitting process and restrictions as medical marijuana.

Another proposed code change up for council review essentially would make permanent a temporary urgency ordinance passed last year to prohibit retail sales of marijuana and marijuana products and establishment of dispensaries and limit marijuana cultivation to the extent possible under state law following the legalization of adult recreational use.

Council members will review and provide feedback on the proposed amendments during their meeting Tuesday, which starts at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

Both changes would need to return for final adoption at a later date.

Sober-living appeals

Tuesday’s agenda also features several items related to drug and alcohol treatment facilities and sober-living homes, which typically house adults recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.

The council will take up three appeals seeking to overturn Planning Commission denials of required conditional use permits for:

• A Summit Coastal Living sober-living facility serving up to 12 residents, plus a resident house manager, in three units at 2041 Tustin Ave.
• A state-licensed drug and alcohol treatment facility operated by Casa Capri LLC with up to 14 female residents in three units at 166 E. 18th St.
• A state-licensed treatment facility run by Windward Way Recovery with up to 28 residents in eight units on adjoining parcels at 351 and 357 Victoria St.

The commission denied the Casa Capri and Windward Way facilities after determining that they conflicted with the city’s requirement that group homes, sober-living homes and licensed alcohol and drug treatment facilities be at least 650 feet from one another in residential areas.

Though the separation standard isn’t an issue for the Summit Coastal Living facility, commissioners in August questioned the proposed occupancy and raised concerns about how the home could affect parking in the area, particularly given its proximity to Woodland Elementary School.

luke.money@latimes.com

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